For Vadodara engineer, formula for clean future: Two wheels, no fuel

Nikita Lalwani, an instrumentation engineer, doesn’t drive a car or a scooter to work. But it wasn’t a difficult choice — there’s always her cycle and her cycling club

Nikita Lalwani and other members of Cycling Cities in Vadodara. Their aim: encourage at least one-third of the population in every city to take up cycling.

WHAT BEGAN as a way to beat traffic jams on her way to work has ended up turning Nikita Lalwani into a bicycle crusader. She now runs the Vadodara-based Cycling Cities, a platform that promotes cycling and aims to encourage “at least one-third of the population of every city to take up cycling” as a commuting option. “Three years ago, when work began on a flyover on the route to my office, it almost doubled my commute time. My office was a mere 4 km away, but I would be mostly stuck in traffic, irrespective of whether I was in an auto-rickshaw or car. That’s how I decided to try cycling to work,” she says.

Lalwani is an instrumentation engineer with German MNC Linde, but doesn’t own a car or a scooter. The 27-year-old says it wasn’t a difficult choice to make — she has even convinced many of her colleagues to take to cycling. “I have been cycling since childhood. I grew up in Kota, where I cycled till Class 12 as my parents felt the city was too small for a teenager to be riding a scooter” says Lalwani.

“I have been cycling since childhood. I grew up in Kota, where I cycled till Class 12 as my parents felt the city was too small for a teenager to be riding a scooter.”

Soon, as cycling turned into a passion, she began thinking of how she could change the way people travelled. “Cities have turned car-centric, when they should be human-centric. I wanted to make cycles more acceptable in the society and on the roads,” she says. Says Anirrudh Chaudhari, 39, a deputy manager at Linde, “Most of us do desk jobs, which are sedentary. But now, inspired by Nikita, I cycle to work even if it is raining. It probably takes me 10 minutes more to get to work, but it’s worth it.”

In June, Lalwani, who earned the title of ‘India’s Bicycle Mayor’ from Netherlands-based global NGO CycleSpace, travelled to Amsterdam to attend the Bicycle Mayor and Leader Summit. Supported by local authorities in Vadodara, Cycling Cities connects cyclists with each other and with cycle shops and repair centres, and clubs and experts in other cities. It also conducts guided cycle tours around the old heritage city. “The major deterrent is the lack of cycling lanes, traffic and also the depleting green cover,” Lalwani says.

Vadodara Mayor Bharat Dangar says things are changing. “We have been trying to implement a public bicycle sharing system in the city. We are very happy to see citizens coming up with such campaigns, which will help us take that project forward.” Lalwani says her mission has come with some personal perks. “With cycling, I no longer have to watch what I eat,” she says.

Aditi Raja

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More

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